Though the stockings for years have been a labor of love by employees, this year's stockings were made by employees as well as a dozen volunteers -- seniors mostly -- who were tired of writing checks to charity and decided they wanted to make a difference in someone's life by using their hands.

The dozen members of the Preceptor Tau chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, a service organization in Clackamas County, didn't know about the Providence tradition, which is at least 20 years old. Then a member saw a call for volunteers in the medical center's "Providence Spirit" newsletter during the summer.

According to service chairwoman Phyllis Crane, the project sparked an idea. No, it wouldn't be feeding the hungry or clothing the needy. And maybe it wasn't as necessary as the group's annual checks to the Bethany House and Snow-Cap Charities. But why couldn't the sorority sisters, who'd been "burned out" on years of garage sales and wrapping-paper sales, do both this year -- write a check and use their hands?

The stockings would be a little thing, but Crane believed the contribution would be a lifetime memento for those mothers and fathers with children born in December.

"I had not seen or heard about it," Crane said, "but it’s similar to when you get an
illness or a disease and you've never heard of anybody having it. Then when you mention it, everybody knows somebody who has it.

"One gal thought it was a crazy thing
to do. What difference does this make to people? And then her neighbor goes, 'Oh, I brought my baby home in a Christmas stocking. And that was years ago,
and you don’t know how exciting that was for me.' "

So the sewers in the group gathered red felt and white cloth and started work in September. Those who didn't sew went to the homes of those who did and traced the patterns and cut the fabric, and 88-year-old Gladys Gortner sewed 10 stockings herself.

Crane, who lived for 40 years in Northeast Portland, a stone's throw from Providence Portland, gave the stockings in November to maternity nurses who bundle the babies and have the pleasure of sending them home with a holiday keepsake. Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Providence Milwaukie Hospital and Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center also wrap Christmastime newborns in hand-made stockings.

Christina Vidlund, a financial counselor at Providence Portland, saw the newsletter announcement, too. As someone who likes to sew, she thought it was a sweet idea and something she could do to bring a smile to someone else. So she made two.

Crane said her group made 109 all together. "That's a lot of work for a bunch of little old ladies," she said. "But we enjoyed it so much."